I Never Found Love In The City
by MaddieHarper
Summary: Emily's back in her hometown after graduating college and struggles with her choice to stay in town as a bartender. A chance encounter gives her a new sense of direction. AU
1. Chapter 1

**I've read so many great stories on here, and thought I'd give this a go myself. Hope you enjoy. Reviews are appreciated, tell me whatever you like or don't like :)**

As she so often did, Emily found herself questioning whether she wanted to strangle Hanna or not. The blonde's eyes glinted mischieviously as she smiled widely at the guy in front of her who was already pulling his wallet out. She looked over at Emily who simply scoffed at her, a smile hiding in the corner of her mouth. The two guys had been eyeing them for a while and confidentily sought them out only a minute ago to dance. She had opened her mouth to reject the tall, raven-haired guy who eyed her up and down with appreciative eyes, but Hanna had cut her off before she could even begin.

"It's her birthday today!" Emily groaned and Hanna smiled wider.

"Your birthday?" She looked up at the guy again. To be fair, he was really cute. For a guy.

"Well in that case, drinks are on us, girls." He winked at her and Emily gave him a weak smile as they all headed to the bar. Hanna linked arms with her and once again cut her off before she could say anything.

"I know, I know. But its free drinks, Em!"

Emily rolled her eyes. "You're honestly the worst."

Hanna ignored her and dragged her along as she tried to catch up with the guys. The taller guy already had the bartender's attention. Emily doubted he had much trouble picking up girls, and she almost felt bad he was wasting his advances on her.

"What do you want?"

Deciding she wanted the drink enough and it was her birthday after all, Emily shrugged and gave him half a smile.

"I'll have a Jameson on the rocks."

The guy raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised by her choice, before he turned to the bartender again.

"Uh, that sounds good actually. We'll have two of those."

Emily snickered at this. From where she was standing she could see the bartender put a bottle of beer back in the fridge before he started preparing their drinks. Clearly, the guy had already ordered himself a beer but didn't want to order a weaker drink than her. She smiled innocently as he focused his attention back on her again.

"So what's your name, birthday girl?"

She bit her lip. "Emily."

"I'm Dylan."

The bartender handed the guy, Dylan, their drinks and he nodded in thanks. His friend was already nudging Hanna back towards the dancefloor.

"Uh, listen, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Carrying both of their drinks, Dylan followed Hanna and his friend back to the crowded floor while Emily stayed behind. She didn't actually need the bathroom, but she did need a break from dancing, and she definitely needed a moment to collect herself before she went back to that scene. She found an empty bar stool at the other end of the bar. They wouldn't be able to see her from where they were anyway, but she felt more secure on the opposite end of the dancefloor just in case. The bartender glanced at her briefly, but if he was confused, he didn't let it show. She sighed in frustration. Meeting someone would sure be a lot easier if Rosewood had at least one gay club. She was flattered by the attention, but didn't like being checked out by guys any more than she liked having to reject them. It was just tiring at this point.

For a lack of anything better to do, Emily fished her phone out of her pocket. There were Facebook notifications with what she assumed was birthday messages and a text from Aria.

" **\- Don't get so drunk you won't remember anything to tell me tomorrow ;)"**

She scoffed. The way this night was going, she doubted she would have anything worth sharing at lunch tomorrow. When Hanna had insisted they go out for her birthday, Aria had hesitated and, when probed, admitted it would be her and Ezra's engagement anniversary the same day.

" _It's not like it's our actual wedding anniversary, Ezra will understand."_

 _Emily told her not to be ridiculous._

" _Seriously, I don't mind. I'd get out of it too if I could."_

" _Hey!" The two brunettes both laughed as Hanna scowled at Emily._

" _I wouldn't make a big deal, it's just that Ezra already made us dinner reservations.." Aria blushed, and Emily could only smile at her. She had officially been Aria Montgomery-Fitz for six months, and was happier than the girls had ever seen her. Hanna made sure to remind her not to forget about her "painfully single best friends" every chance she'd get, but jokes aside they were both incredibly happy on her behalf._

" _We'll do lunch the day after." Emily winked at her and Aria nodded back gratefully._

Not bothering to scroll through the Facebook messages yet, Emily typed out a reply to Aria.

" **\- I'll forward your message to Hanna."**

Looking up from her phone again, she noticed the bartender was stood right in front of her. She realized she probably shouldn't be occupying a seat without ordering. She hadn't even noticed someone had sat down next to her until she heard them speak.

"Two bourbon. Neat."

Her voice rang in an authorative tone, and Emily's head whipped sideways before she could help herself. She was met with wavy, blonde hair and for a second she thought Hanna had come back for her. On second glance, this girl's neatly waved curls were gold compared to Hanna's paler blonde and cascaded down her black leather jacket. Her credit card was pinned between two of her fingers as she rested her elbow on the bar counter. The bartender remained silent, but his mouth twitched into half a smile. It was the first time she'd seen him smile all night, but she didn't blame him. The girl was stunning.

It might be the slight buzz from the four drinks she'd already had or just unfiltered curiosity, because she didn't realize she was going to speak before she heard the words out of her mouth.

"Interesting choice."

The girl didn't look surprised as she faced her. She didn't show any change in expression at all.

Emily squirmed in her seat as she was met with round, blue eyes and heart-shaped lips. Her rich, red lipstick made her mouth impossible to look away from, and Emily bit down on her lip, cursing herself for her lack of tact. The blonde however didn't miss a beat.

"I'm not known to be predictable," she said.

She wasn't smiling, but her tone was light. Her eyes really were a striking shade of blue, and Emily could feel a blush fall onto her cheeks as she smiled awkwardly. _This girl was intimidating._ Her gaze still lingered on Emily, almost as if she was evaluating her. She couldn't think of anything to say in return and ducked her head shyly. Her hand mindlessly reached for a drinks menu and she pretended to study it, careful not to let her eyes shift back to the other girl.

"So how come you're sitting here alone?" The girl spoke again, to Emily's mild surprise. Feeling somehow more prepared this time, she studied the menu for a second longer before meeting the blonde's eyes once more. Her expression was gentler now, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"I'm not. Well, I am, but I'm here with my friend," she explained.

"I see." There was a definite smirk on the girl's face now.

"I'm not a huge fan of clubs, I tend to stick to bars. My friend insisted on going out for my birthday," Emily admitted.

"How dare she!" the blonde teased, her smirk even wider, and Emily rolled her eyes as she smiled.

"What, 30 seconds into our conversation and you're making fun of me already?" She tried to sound offended, but doubted it came across when she still couldn't stop smiling. Not that she would tell Hanna this after, but she was already enjoying herself more than she had all night.

"Made you smile, didn't I? Besides, you started the conversation."

"Yeah, and I' m regretting it already," Emily grinned back, trying not to make it too obvious just how much she didn't regret it.

"You question people's drinking habits a lot then?"

"Well, you see," Emily picked up the menu again and held it up demonstratively. "-I'm a bartender, so I have a general idea of people's orders." She felt a little triumphant from her come-back as the girl tilted her head curiosly.

"You're a bartender?" she questioned.

"You seem surprised."

Honestly, she enjoyed the tone of surprise. Her bartending job paid the bills for the time being, but she had promised herself to find something else and hopefully find her way out of Rosewood within the year. The blonde smiled almost apologetically.

"No, it's cool. I don't know what I was expecting."

Not wanting the girl to be embarrassed, she shrugged again. "I didn't want to say anything, you know, make a big deal and stuff, but I'm really an actress. I just flew back from Milan. I do a lot of foreign films to broaden my audience and make use of the seven languages I speak. The bartending job is mainly for the juicy stories and my assistant's holiday pay."

The girl giggled at this, and Emily congratulated herself. _She has a cute laugh._ Still giggling, the girl nodded, "I knew I recognized your face, I guess the American accent threw me off huh?"

Emily tucked her lip between her teeth to hide her grin, and when she looked up, she could've sworn the mischiveous glint in those blue eyes disappeared for a second as they darted down to her mouth. Then the blonde blinked and the second passed, and Emily wasn't sure she had seen anything at all. The sound of glasses clinking together broke the moment and the girl's drinks had suddenly appeared on the counter between them. The blonde tilted her head to find the bartender, Emily hadn't seen him either, but he was already engaged with another customer. Emily noted herself impressed. The blonde reached for her drinks, and it dawned on Emily that she had ordered two. _Of course she's here with someone._

Swiftly looking down to hide her disappointment, she picked up her phone again, pretending to check the time. "I should probably get back to my friend, I told her I'd be right back."

The blonde nodded and got up from her seat and she did the same. They shared another smile as neither of them said anything, and Emily shrugged. "Well, it was nice talking to you."

Again, something changed in the other girl's eyes, but she couldn't decipher it.

"Yeah, it was," she said quietly.

Finding it somehow hard to look her in the eye now, Emily cleared her throat and put her phone away in her pocket. She was about to walk past her, but froze as the girl took a step towards her and then soft lips were pressed against her cheek. Her face heated instantly in a blush, which only magnified when she felt her breath on her ear.

"Happy birthday."

Then she pulled back and walked away.

As if she'd been burned, Emily touched her hand to her cheek. It had happened so fast, but the warmth in her face was evidence enough. Before she walked away, she spotted the bartender looking at her, a smug smile on his face. She gave him a somewhat embarrassed smile in return and proceeded to push her way through the crowd, back to the dancefloor.

She could use that drink right about now.

 **Let me know if you want this continued. Hope you're all having a great day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys!**

 **I'm so sorry for not having updated sooner. First of all, a huge thank you to all of you who left reviews, I loved reading them! I had a really busy few weeks with essay deadlines and then my girlfriend and I were both sick for two weeks. Things are finally settling down a bit and I've spent all day in an artsy café on campus writing and drawing, which was much needed.**

 **Anyway, enough about that. Here's another chapter for you. It's a bit of a filler chapter, but things will start coming together. I still welcome criticism, and apologies for any grammatical errors! English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes I might have made.**

"Hanna, get up!" Emily shouted as she scrubbed her plate clean. _God, I miss having a dishwasher,_ she she wasn't working, it seemed like the majority of her time was spent preparing food or doing dishes. Especially if she was cleaning up after two. Satisfied with the state of the dishes, she turned the sink off and put the last plate in the rack to dry. A muffled grunt sounded from the closest bedroom. Hanna's door had been left open after she unsuccessfully attempted to crash in Emily's bed last night. The brunette had supported her semi-conscious roommate to her own bed and told her she'd stay with her. It didn't take more than ten minutes before she could sneak back to her own room again, after helping Hanna out of her dress and fishing her favorite sleeping shirt out of her closet, and she embraced the space her own bed offered. The two often ended up sharing a bed after a night out, because Hanna was big on drunk cuddles. Especially if they had been reminiscing about High School. This time though, Emily craved the privacy of her own company. She felt.. Off. It wasn't the low she'd feel after a bad night, but not the warm rush after a good one either. She couldn't quite make up her mind about something, but felt too tired to dwell on it, and she'd fallen asleep in a matter of minutes.

"Oh my god, I am never touching vodka ever again," Hanna groaned as Emily sat on the foot of her bed.

"I might have believed you if you didn't say that every time. It somehow loses its effect after a while," Emily teased and earned herself a red-rimmed glare.

"It's too early for your smart-ass humor, Fields."

"It really isn't. I'd actually say it's long overdue, it's 1:40 already."

She had been up since 9 herself. She didn't actually care if Hanna slept the morning away, but they couldn't be late for their lunch with Aria at 2:30 because Emily had work later. Hanna's days were usually filled with urgent phone calls and last minute assignments from her boss, so she deserved any break she could get. Emily was positive Hanna must have told her the woman's actual name at some point, probably once or twice during her first week on the job, but she had quickly been dubbed "bitch tits". Emily wasn't always thrilled with her own job either, but she did at least have a good work environment.

"I need a shower and I need caffeine," Hanna whined pathetically as she slowly rose from her sheets.

Having predicted this already, Emily got up and walked back into their kitchen.

"You do the shower and I'll do the coffee," she called and reached for two coffee cups. A second coffee would do.

Three hours into her shift, Emily decided it was a bad day. The difference between good and bad days at The Radley's hotel bar depended on how busy it was and the type of customers she'd get. People on business trips were often her favorites, as they were eager to strike up some casual conversation and also tipped well. There was also a definite increase in flirting in her life after landing the job, both guys and girls had left her their numbers and she had even called a few of the girls with lots of encouragement from Hanna.

This Sunday, she had only spoken to a handful of people. The place was quiet and slow and the few customers she'd had were all in a rush and barely said "thanks" as she served them. Dissatisfied and bored, she checked her phone for the fifth time in ten minutes. She had counted on work to keep her mind busy and was disappointed with how the day had progressed. Her mind kept drifting back to the previous night and the encounter with the blonde in the club. They had only spoken for a few minutes, but she was instantly attracted to the playful glint in her eyes and the way she spoke. That, and she was undeniably gorgeous. Although she was positive she must have been there with someone else, she'd gone all day scolding herself for not having had the guts to ask for her number. Normally, she was pretty confident with girls but this one had reduced her to the shy, rambling mess she was back in High School. She hadn't even told Hanna about it. Somehow, it felt private. She would dive into details of her casual dates without hesitation, but just remembering the warmth of that kiss on her cheek had her smiling coyly to herself.  
Although she would never admit this, she had even checked the club's Instagram account and hashtag in hopes of finding the girl's name. There was no evidence of her having been there (and thankfully none of herself either) and she'd left for work determined to forget about it altogether.

She was about to put her phone away and find something more productive to do when a notification lit up her screen.

 _Hanna Marin tagged you in a photo._

She had been messaging back and forth with Hanna earlier and Hanna had sent her five almost identical selfies, demanding Emily pick the best one. Of course she had disagreed with Emily's choice anyway and Emily lost interest in the conversation as another customer finally approached.  
She opened the app and instantly rolled her eyes. The caption read 'date night with my bestie' under a photo of a grinning Hanna with Emily in the background, fixing her hair in the mirror while shooting the blonde a glare. Three people had already liked it. She opened her messenger app to send her 'bestie' a sassy text when she was brought out of her bubble by an amused voice.

"Of all the bars in all the world, she walks into mine."

Emily's head shot up and knew in that millisecond before their eyes met that she would be greeted with the smirk she had thought of all day. She was even more stunning than she remembered.

"Your bar, is it?" she raised an eyebrow at the girl as she approached. Her hair folded into the same elegant curls as the night before, her lips the same shade of red. Today, she wore a light grey blazer over a loose, white v-neck top. She could already tell the girl had expensive taste, and although Emily only had a moderate interest in fashion at best, she thought it suited her.

"Maybe not," she replied as she sat down on the closest chair. "- but I am a paying hotel guest here."

"You're staying at The Radley?" Emily asked in surprise. She had disappointedly accepted that she probably wouldn't run into the girl again and couldn't believe the strange turn of events.

"Since Thursday. I swear I'm not stalking you," she joked and Emily grinned. "If you say so."

She quickly scanned the room and could only spot pairs engaged in conversation, only one of them in close distance to the bar. Bottling her curiosity, she refrained from asking if she was staying here alone. However, her brief shift of attention didn't go unnoticed.

"I was supposed to meet my mother for a drink here, but I appear to have been stood up," the girl explained. She smiled with a shrug, but for the first time it didn't reach her eyes. Emily suspected it bothered her more than she was letting on, but she could also sense that she didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm sorry." She said. It genuinely made her sad to see the other girl disappointed. "I think a drink on the house is in order to make the elevator trip down here worth it then," Emily continued and rested her hands flat on the counter. "We do have bourbon."

Her eyes softened to match her smile this time and Emily felt ridiculously accomplished for having cheered her up a little.

"You remembered," she said gently. "Well I couldn't say no to that."

"There should be some perks to knowing the staff after all," Emily shrugged as she moved to prepare the drink. "It would be nice to know who I'm serving though." She bit down on her bottom lip and looked up for a moment. The blonde tilted her head slightly, a dimple forming on her cheek. _Cute._

"Alison," she said simply.

It was quiet enough that she could hear the faint sound of the ice cubes clinking together as she set the drink on the counter.

"I'm Emily."

Alison took the glass and gave a short nod of appreciation. "Cheers, Emily."

Emily lifted her own water glass in return and Alison let out a small chuckle before she took a sip.

Talking to Alison was different. It wasn't quite like anything or anyone else in her life. It felt easy and familiar, yet exciting and sometimes intimidating. Alison always knew what to say, and it made her feel comfortable and nervous at the same time, considering she was the complete opposite herself. Alison seemed amused whenever Emily became flustered or rambled, which was frequently, but she also seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. She asked Emily about her work while sipping on her second drink, which she insisted on paying for but Emily brushed her off.

"So what brings you to Rosewood anyway?" Emily asked casually. Rosewood was hardly a tourist spot, most of the guests staying for business reasons, but few of them were as young as Alison. She couldn't be any older than herself.

"I used to live here," Alison explained as she looked around. "I moved after my first year of High School. My parents split up and I had to move around a lot. I've been in New York for the past five years, but Rosewood always felt the most like home."

Emily nodded, furrowing her eyebrows a little. "I get that, I guess. I keep wondering why it is I'm still here, I always planned on going out of state for college, but then my mom is here and my friends.. I don't know," she shook her head. She always felt a little embarrassed to admit that she never dared to leave Rosewood.

"You're lucky to have people you love enough to stay for."

Their eyes met again and Emily found herself at a lack of words. No one had ever put it quite like that.

"In fact, you will have to bring them to my opening. I'm setting up a store here soon and it would be nice to see a familiar face."

She said it very casually, but Emily had to keep herself from breaking into a grin upon hearing that Alison wanted to see her again.

"Well, it's only fair I return the favor since you're kind enough to keep me company here. What kind of store is it?"

"That's true, you owe me. It's a clothing store. I'm a designer," Alison explained as she reached for her drink again. Her nails were painted a pale pink and a silver heart line ring circled her ring finger. Emily wasn't surprised to learn she worked in the fashion industry, but starting your own business in your early twenties seemed pretty gutsy.

"Wow, that's really cool," Emily said excitedly and blushed a little at her own eagerness. "I mean, that's impressive, you must be very ambitious. My roommate works in fashion too, I get how demanding it can be."

Hanna had also gone to New York to study fashion. Ironically enough, the best job offer she got after her graduation was the PA job her mom had found back in Rosewood. 'Bitch tits' was connected to one of Ashley Marin's clients, and Hanna had agreed to leave New York for the experience. Emily knew she missed the city, but she was selfishly glad she was back, even if they were only going to be roommates for the one year Hanna planned on staying.

"Yeah, I guess I am pretty ambitious. It sort of runs in the family." Alison looked down and Emily was starting to realize that her relationship with her parents was a rather complicated one as she watched her fingernails tapping faintly against her glass. "So you have a roommate?"

Emily's eyes shifted back up to the blonde's face again. "Uh, yeah. My best friend Hanna just moved back here from New York too. I was about ready to kill my old roommate, I swear there's still a buttprint in the sofa from her sitting there all day." She rolled her eyes. Tara really had been the worst roommate possible.

"So you got rid of your old roommate in favor for your best friend?" Alison raised an eyebrow with a slight smile.

"They'll never find the body," Emily looked her straight in the eye and Alison let out a laugh.

"I'll try to remain on your good side then," she winked, gaining a shy smile from Emily. "Since you seem very experienced on the subject, maybe you'd want to help me look for an apartment?"

It was said in a casual manner, but the question still threw Emily's stomach for a loop.

"Okay!" she blurted out and cringed at her obvious excitement. _Way to not seem keen, Em._ "I mean, sure. My shifts are pretty flexible, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Either she hadn't noticed her awkward slip or she chose to ignore it. Either way, Emily was relieved.

"Great," Alison responded cheerfully and pulled out her phone from a black leather purse that looked like it cost more than her and Hanna's monthly rent. She handed it over to Emily who stared blankly at her.

"It would be easier to contact you if I had your phone number."

"Right," Emily laughed and grabbed the phone. She quickly typed in her number and hesitated for a moment before simply adding 'Emily Fields' as her contact name. 'Emily' was a pretty common name after all. She handed the phone back to Alison who glanced at the screen briefly before pocketing it, standing up from her chair.

"Jeez, I didn't realize how late it's gotten. I should be heading back, I have some more work to do before tomorrow."

Emily glanced at her watch and raised her eyebrows in surprise. They had been talking for almost two hours. "Wow, I didn't notice. My shift's almost over. I'm sorry, usually I'm counting down the minutes." She felt bad about having kept Alison from her work, but was secretly glad she didn't have to be bored by herself much longer.

"Don't be sorry, it was nice. You're better company than my mother anyway."

"Well in that case, you're welcome." They shared another smile before Alison took a step back and hooked her purse on her shoulder.

"I'll have my people call your people. Enjoy the rest of your shift." Alison winked and just like that she was gone again.

When Emily opened Hanna's stupid Instagram photo this time, she was grinning and hit the like button. She snickered at Aria's comment ("looks like Emily's had better dates!"), and typed Hanna a message.

 **I'm heading home in an hour, are we eating together?**

 **Only if you're cooking ;) How's work?**

She didn't even care that she had to prepare a late dinner. She sure as hell wasn't going to give Hanna the satisfaction of knowing this, but she was suddenly feeling extreme gratitude towards her for ignoring Emily's wish for a quiet Netflix and ice cream kinda birthday.

 **Hah, when am I not cooking?**

She chewed on her lip before she added,

 **Work's been good :)**

 **Thanks for reading! Hope you're all having a great Thursday (or whatever day it is in your part of the world).**


	3. Chapter 3

**So I did a longer chapter this time. With university being pretty demanding this time of year, I've had to write little bits whenever I've had time, so I'm not sure if it flows that well, but hopefully it's okay. As always, thank you so much for your lovely reviews! I really appreciate your feedback.  
Hope all you Americans had a great thanksgiving! I celebrated my first one this year, which I really enjoyed. **

**Enjoy December, have a great day and don't stress too much :)**

It was early Tuesday morning and Emily was running. Ten minutes into her workout, she sped through the empty park, the crisp November air chilling her face. Her morning runs were getting noticeably colder, but she didn't mind as she warmed up quickly enough. With the exception of swimming, running was her favorite way of getting a fresh, early start on her day. She would practically roll straight out of bed and into her running tights, only pausing briefly in the kitchen for a glass of water and half a breakfast bar. At 7am the park was still empty save from one or two other joggers, so she never bothered with makeup. The park had been her spot ever since the summer she graduated High School. Up until then, she had used the park on the other side of town where she and her then-girlfriend Paige would run together. Both being on the school's swim team, they automatically fell into the same workout routine both in and outside of school. Paige was extremely competitive, even aggressively so in the beginning, but as their relationship developed, Emily had found the competition motivating. Even after her shoulder injury, she would still join her girlfriend on her runs. It was when summer came and Paige accepted her full scholarship to Stanford that the two broke up, and Emily spent the whole summer avoiding Paige, forcing her to change her route. It wasn't until her ex-girlfriend was gone and she could go back to her old routine that she realized she preferred the new park to the old one, and she moved on.

The sky was a hopeful blue today. The trees were all naked, standing tall over the ground covered in brightly colored leaves. _It will be winter soon_ , she noted to herself with a sad smile. Christmas had always been her favorite time of the year, and it still was, although one essential part of it would always be missing now; her dad. It had been two years ago last month. Sometimes she could almost forget it ever happened, walking through the streets of her hometown, everything felt timeless. Rosewood had not changed much over the years. In its familiar surroundings, the thought of Wayne Fields being absent from her world seemed ridiculous. In those moments, she would forget. The truth was never far away though, and it was never more evident than when she visited her mom. Pam Fields was graceful in her sorrow. She looked the same, did her job with the same consistent thoroughness and her house was impeccable as always. Her heart was a different matter, and Emily knew she felt her dad's absence in everything she did. It had taken a lot of probing on Emily's part for Pam to finally admit that she was having trouble sleeping, and together they had decided to do therapy together once a week. At first, Emily had her doubts about it. She couldn't imagine what difference it would make. Then after a while, the two of them were able to spend time together like they used to, without feeling the guilt and pain of enjoying themselves without the head of the family.

Exiting the park, Emily decided to take a small detour to grab a coffee from The Brew. The fresh air was great and all, but she wasn't one to pass on her morning coffee. There were more people walking the streets now, and she hoped she was still early enough that she could avoid the swarm of students passing the coffee shop before school. She was about to speed up when she noticed a massive poster covering the whole front of what used to be a small restaurant. It was a fashion ad showing an attractive brunette in a deep plunge playsuit. But what caught her eye was the name of the brand; DiLaurentis. She recognized it from having signed for a few of Hanna's orders from the place. Apparently, it was a fairly new, but well-established brand Hanna had discovered in New York. Emily would be lying if she said she actually remembered any of the details Hanna had raved on about, but she liked the dark blue dress she had ordered, the same one she had worn on Emily's birthday. She made a note of the opening date and continued down the street.

It wasn't until she got home that it clicked. Seated in front of her computer while finishing up her coffee, she remembered Alison's words from two days ago.  
 _"I'm setting up a store here soon and it would be nice to see a familiar face."_

When Alison had said she was a designer, she didn't realize she was _that_ kind of designer. Like the famous kind. If she had been impressed before, she was now amazed. She typed the brand into google search and got her suspicions confirmed as she scrolled down past the brand's website and found a Wikipedia page with the name 'Alison DiLaurentis' attached.  
"Alison DiLaurentis is an American fashion designer and founder of the womenswear label DiLaurentis," Emily read out loud to herself and scrolled down the article. The brand was only three years old, and she scoffed upon noticing Alison's year of birth. She had been right, the girl was no older than herself, in fact she was two years younger. Her curiosity won over the embarrassment of downright stalking the girl she had just met and she opened Facebook in a new tab.  
Frowning, she was surprised to already find a friend request waiting for her. Clicking on her profile, she opened up her profile photo, a HQ shot of the blonde gazing over her shoulder with soft street lights blurring in the background. With her cheeks flushing for what felt like the hundredth time already, she accepted the request. Would it be too weird to message her already? She hadn't even planned on adding Alison at all herself, only needing to satisfy her growing curiosity. She opened the message box, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

" **Hey,"** she typed and then immediately erased it. _Lame, lame, lame._  
This was probably a stupid idea, people friend request each other all the time, it doesn't mean you message them. But _she_ had asked for Emily's number, and she had said she wanted to see her again..

" **Hey, what's up?** **"** she retyped, still hesitating to hit send. She stared blankly at the sentence for five seconds before deleting it word by word. She sighed and pushed her chair back, deciding to leave it for now and take a shower. She reached out to close her laptop and froze as she glanced at the message box, which now contained a single message.

" **H"**

Emily's eyes widened in dread, her hands shooting forward again to hover anxiously over the keyboard. _Fuck._  
While pushing the backspace button, she must have accidentally hit 'enter'. Her mind now racing to come up with something clever to say and somehow make this less awkward, she chewed nervously on her lip. She froze again as something popped up underneath her message.

✓ **seen 7:56am**

"Noo, no, no, no," she whined pathetically to herself. Furiously biting her lip, she started typing again. She didn't think fingers had ever typed this fast before.

" **Sorry, that was supposed to say 'hey'. I hit enter by accident haha."  
**

The tick signalling that Alison had seen her message appeared again immediately and Emily congratulated herself on her idiocy. She stared at the screen for another five seconds before the three dots showed that Alison was typing a reply.

" **Hey ;)"**

Great. If Alison hadn't thought she was weird already, she definitely did now. Having no idea how to proceed from there, Emily closed her laptop and downed the rest of her coffee before she went into the bathroom to get undressed. Surely this was enough humiliation for a day, never mind it only being 8am. She should have gone straight for the damn shower instead of messing around on the computer. Still scolding herself, she pulled her shirt over her head and kicked her socks off. Taking some comfort from the warm tiles against her feet, she untied her ponytail and let her eyes close briefly as her hair fell around her back. They shot open again only a second later as her phone rang in the distance. Reluctantly stepping out of the warm bathroom, she spotted her lit-up phone on the kitchen table where she had left it. The number was unfamiliar, so she lingered in the kitchen to avoid the echo from the bathroom.

"Hello?"

A small laugh came from the other end of the line.  
"Do you always sound this confused when you answer the phone?"

"Alison?" The voice was unmistakably hers, but Emily was still shocked she was actually calling her.

"I told you I'd call didn't I?" There was definite amusement in her voice, and Emily found herself instantly smiling.

"Actually, I believe you said your people would call my people. I'm honoured to get this call in person."

The other girl laughed again and Emily couldn't help but do the same.

"It's early, I didn't know if your office would be open," she joked. "I just called to say 'hey'. Or rather, 'H'," she added smugly, and Emily was glad she couldn't see her as the embarrassment flushed her face again.

"Oh, shut up," she joked back as she leaned her back against the fridge. Out of the great window that occupied most of the kitchen wall, she could see Rosewood getting ready for the day. Despite how annoying late shifts could be, she appreciated the calm mornings they allowed her.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Err.." She looked down at herself, aware that she was only wearing her Adidas tights and a sports bra.

"Let me guess, not out of bed yet?"

"Actually I've been up since 6:30." She pushed herself off the fridge and started on a slow pace around the kitchen.

"An early bird." Alison said. "So how about it?"

Still pacing, Emily watched her feet as she walked in slow circles. "How about what?"

"Are you still going to help me find a place?"

"Oh, that." She glanced at her shift list on the fridge. She had a dayshift on Friday, but the rest were late afternoons. "Yeah, sure. When?" she asked, praying she wouldn't say Friday.

"Now." Alison replied casually.

"Right now?" She frowned as her pacing lead her towards her bedroom. She tore her closet open and jumped back a step as three shirts fell out.

"Unless you're busy."

"No, no, I just need a shower. I just came back from a run." Her right hand was helplessly digging through the ball of shirts in her closet. Her mother would have fainted if she saw the current state it was in.

"That's alright. Can you be ready in an hour?"

"Uh, yeah," she answered as she pulled out a dark green shirt. _She's a freaking designer, anything you pick is gonna feel inadequate anyway_.

"Good," Alison said cheerily. "Just text me your address. And Emily?"

Fishing out her black skinny jeans, she shut her closet and hurried back towards the bathroom. "Yeah?"

"Don't stress."

Emily could practically hear her smirk before she hung up.

It was 8:03 when they ended the phone conversation. Emily had showered hastily and had spent the last 15 minutes drying her hair before pulling it up in a high ponytail, deeming it too unruly to leave loose. A text message from Alison ticked in at exactly 8:04.

– **I'm outside.**

She didn't know what she had expected exactly, but she couldn't help but admire the sleek black car that awaited her outside the building. She could see Alison's face ease into a smile behind the window while she leant forward to push the door open for her. The unmistakable smell of new car surrounded her as she sunk back into the leather seat. The blonde was wearing an elegant beige coat over a grey turtleneck and she had exchanged her red lipstick for a softer pink.

"I feel like I'm being picked up by Regina George."

Alison laughed at this and quirked an eyebrow. "Get in, bitch. We're going house hunting."

Emily grinned back as Alison pulled back into the street. "Nice ride," she commented.

"Yeah, it gets me around. How was your run?"

Alison's eyes flickered between her and the road every few seconds, and Emily shrugged.

"Good. I like running. I try to go every day."

Alison nodded. "I bet you're fast."

Emily eyed her curiously and shifted in her seat. "I am," she said somewhat smugly which earned her a humorous smile in return.

"You have long legs," Alison explained.

Trying to shove the thoughts of Alison looking at her legs out of her mind, Emily cleared her throat. Feeling a little bolder, she changed the subject. "So, why didn't you tell me who you were the other night?"

"I did tell you," she replied simply, and they turned to meet each other's eyes at the same time. She must have looked unimpressed with the answer, because Alison's mouth twitched slightly. "My name is Alison. I sketch clothes for a living."

"Something you do very well," Emily added. "According to the internet anyway, and according to my roommate who would kill me if she knew where I was right now." She still hadn't told Hanna about the other blonde, mostly because she didn't know _what_ to tell her, there wasn't anything _to_ tell. But now that she knew Alison's true identity, she didn't have much of a choice. Especially if she was going to Alison's store opening. There was no way Hanna would miss it, whether it be Emily telling her about it or her figuring it out on her own.

"You googled me? I'm flattered." Alison said teasingly.

"Actually, I saw your store while I was out this morning and put two and two together. I think a third of Hanna's closet has your name on it."

"She must have good taste," Alison noted with a hint of satisfaction.

Looking back out the window, Emily noticed they had just passed Rosewood High. It had been a while since she had ventured back to this side of town. She had not hated High School, but at least another decade would have to pass for her to grow nostalgic about it. Her attitude, and mostly her confidence, had changed a lot since then and she'd realized it really was true, college couldn't care less about who you'd been in High School. She had no recollection of ever having seen Alison in the halls of Rosewood High. Even if they had, it seemed doubtful that they'd be friends. Teenage Emily was shy and quiet and no one outside of her close friend group knew her name. Alison could never have been a nobody, even without her fame.

"So you only went to school here for a year?"

Alison considered her question in silence for a few seconds before she replied, a distant look in her eyes. "Only freshman year. My parents sent me to private school after we moved to New York."

"Let me guess, you were the real life Blair Waldorf?" It was meant as a joke, but there was no humour tracing Alison's face.

"Why do you say that?"

Her tone had lost its cheerfulness completely, and once again Emily was made aware of an invisible line she had unknowingly tread over.

"I didn't mean-,"

"Look," the blonde cut her off. "Most people have already made up their minds about my image and personality. I asked you to come today because I thought you were different."

"Alison-," Emily tried again.

"No, this was a stupid idea."

"Alison!" She was loud enough this time that the girl was distracted from her rant. "I'm sorry. It was a mindless joke, I didn't mean anything by it," she said sincerely, her tone softer. She had no idea why Alison had done a complete 180 on her, but she knew she had hit a sensitive spot. "I'm sorry I upset you. You weren't wrong about me."

Her eyes still set on the road, Alison relaxed her shoulders, her strict frown fading. "I know. I'm sorry, Emily." Her eyes stayed on the road in front of her, but she didn't sound upset anymore. "I just don't really like the person I was back then," she admitted in a low voice.

"It doesn't matter to me." They looked at each other this time and Emily aimed a small smile at her. "I don't care who you were then or who people think you are now. I like hanging out with you." She felt incredibly stupid for having offended Alison, even if it was accidentally, and she watched her face carefully as her blue eyes looked away from hers again. There was a hint of a smirk on her lips when spoke again.

"I don't even like Gossip Girl," she said dryly.

Relieved that Alison was resuming their banter, Emily feigned a gasp.  
"I'm personally offended."

The remaining ten minutes of the drive mirrored their conversation from the other evening at The Radley. The topics varied and changed randomly. But the more they talked, the answer to the question Emily had asked herself all morning become more apparent. Her own days were spent working or hanging out with either Hanna or Aria, and it was nearly impossible to talk about herself without bringing them up. It was when Alison gently, but wistfully, commented that her friends sounded like great people that it dawned on her. Alison was _lonely._ The question of why a beautiful, successful girl like her would bother spending time with some random bartender she met a few days ago had been in her thoughts all morning. But now, as Alison went into detail about her busy city life, she recognized how detached from it all she seemed. She talked about the office, the events, the models and their unhealthy lifestyle, her assistant and her assistant's assistant, but none of the people were ever a topic for long enough to be mentioned by name. The only exception being her mother, which seemed to be the root of her many rants.

"I mean she has never liked my career, a fact she just loves to flaunt in front of me and everyone else. All she's ever cared about my entire life was how I did my hair, what homes my friends came from, the tag on my clothes and of course 'our family image'." A hand went off the steering wheel, making quotation marks as she rolled her eyes. "You'd think she would be happy that I have the money to support all her precious values, but no. 'It's a scandalous, shameless industry, Alison.' I can't mention work without her concluding I'm brainwashed, and if I'm tired, she assumes I have a drug problem."

Emily had already come to learn that Alison couldn't help running a hand through her hair when she got frustrated, which she was currently doing. Her fingers combed easily through the loose curls before her hand slumped down on the steering wheel again.

"So basically, your mother is Bree van de Kamp."

Alison snorted. "Anyone ever tell you you watch too much TV, Fields?"

"My Netflix account and I are very comfortable with each other. You know, some of us don't have galas to attend and photoshoots to supervise unlike certain others." Emily pointed an accusing finger towards the driver's seat and got a reluctant smirk in return.

"So sassy," Alison tutted.

"Also, your mom's wrong. She is an idiot if she doesn't see how great you are."

Alison's face softened a little from her words and she gave a short nod of appreciation. They took a left turn and Emily peered out the window again, not having paid attention to the road the past few minutes. She had forgotten to even ask where they were headed, but she recognized the tall houses and big, green yards right away.

"Wait, the viewing is in Green Lane?"

"Yeah. I've never actually been up here, but it looks nice," Alison said.  
Emily was still watching the neighborhood from her window as they passed a big grey wooden house.

"Why do you ask?" Alison probed when Emily didn't reply. She could feel her blue eyes looking over at her and she shrugged, facing away from the window.

"My ex-girlfriend used to live over there. Her folks still do as far as I know, they never liked me so I never came here much."

Emily looked down at her hands. Although she had been out for almost a decade, and telling people wasn't a big deal anymore, she was very aware that this piece of information hadn't been brought up between them yet. The car slowed down and came to a full stop, and when Alison still didn't say anything, she slowly looked up and found her looking back at her.

"Well, I guess I have my first con already," she said and reached to unbuckle herself. "Crappy neighbors."

An hour later, they parked in front of a white wooden house. The house on Green Lane was spacious and modern, and although Emily doubted Alison actually needed two guest bedrooms in addition to her own large bedroom, it was a great house. Alison had seemed oddly quiet and less than impressed, commenting on how she wasn't sure about the room arrangements and the windows. "It's private alright, but it's pretty far from my store and everything else."

Emily didn't argue, after all she knew nothing about Alison's home and interior preferences, and they left to check out the other place Alison had found on Hillcrest Drive.

"It's nice." Emily remarked, looking up at the house. It was a little smaller than the first one, but still large by her standards. The property was hidden from the road behind trees and hedges with no close neighbors. The young woman who currently lived there guided them eagerly through a hallway with white walls and mirror closets and proceeded to the upper floor, which consisted of a large bedroom and bathroom opposite a small living room. Emily had to admire the interior. The place was modern and neat, but what made it so inviting was the furniture and decorations. She saw Alison nod in approval as she circled the living room. Back downstairs, they walked into an even nicer and bigger living room. A large window lit up the walls and showed off a beautiful black grand piano. Passing it, Alison's hand drifted towards the piano keys. The woman turned in as three soft notes echoed and smiled brightly at the blonde. "Do you play?"

"I used to," she smiled back almost shyly. The woman smiled wider before she turned again. Emily noticed Alison glance back at the instrument before she took in the rest of the room. A smaller bathroom and guestroom were located down the hall and last, there was a big, open kitchen with wooden worktops. There were little succulents and other plants Emily didn't know on the window sills, but what caught her eye was two big frames on the wall next to the kitchen table. Emily stepped closer to examine the artwork while Alison followed the woman to the other end of the room. Both frames showed the same face from different angles. They were mostly black and white with smudges of pink around the lips, cheekbones, nose and eyelids.

"Did you do these?" Emily asked, waving a hand towards the drawings, causing another smile to appear on the woman's face.

"I did. I'm an interior designer, but I originally aimed to be an illustrator."

"They're beautiful." Emily complimented her.

She looked at Alison who was studying the portraits with a curious expression.

"I want it," she said.

"You.., want the art?" The woman frowned.

"I want all of it. The house, the furniture, the plants, the artwork. For a fitting price of course. I'll throw in another $30,000 if you can be moved out by tomorrow."

The woman's mouth fell open and Emily chuckled. She looked at Emily in disbelief as if to question whether Alison was serious or not, then back at Alison whose gaze still lingered on the brunette.

"In that case, I'll be upstairs packing," she laughed and went out the kitchen, with Alison and Emily trailing behind.

"You give a whole new meaning to the term 'impulse shopper"." Emily chuckled again, making the other girl smirk. They hadn't even been there 15 minutes.

"If you want something, you gotta go for it. Hard." Alison's low tone sent a shiver through her as their eyes met. She winked, leaving Emily momentarily frozen in place, before she continued through the house. Emily sighed before she followed her out.

 **As usual, I welcome any positive or negative feedback. I'm always looking to improve my English as well as my writing, so if there are any grammatical errors or awkward mistakes, don't be afraid to point it out. I promise I won't be offended ;)  
**


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